The Pulicat Lake, the second largest brackish water lagoon in India after Chilika, sprawling across Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, is in the spotlight again. Not for its historical, ecological, or economical significance, but for an imminent threat from industrial expansion as the Tamil Nadu government has begun the process of denotifying parts of the Pulicat bird sanctuary.
Encompassing 720 square kilometres, most of the lake falls in Andhra Pradesh and less than 20% in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. About 60 kilometres north of Chennai, the lagoon is separated from the Bay of Bengal by the Sriharikota island. It is a unique ecotone that supports rich biodiversity — from aquatic life such as mudskippers, seagrass beds, and oyster reefs to more than 200 avian species, including migratory birds such as Eurasian curlews, oystercatchers, bar-tailed godwits, sand plovers, and greater flamingos.
In 1980, the bird sanctuary was notified under Section 18 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, (declaring an “intention” to make any area, other than an area comprising reserve forests or the territorial waters, into a sanctuary), encompassing 13 revenue villages surrounding the lake. However, a final notification specifying the limits of the area within the sanctuary must be declared under Section 26A.
